Just Visiting by Laura Dower Read Free Book Online

so …”
    “No time for a cup of coffee or a little chat?” Gramma Helen said. She sounded disappointed.
    “I’m sorry,” Mom said, taking Gramma’s hand. “Can we talk later? I owe you one.” They hugged and then Mom turned to Madison.
    Madison slid her arms around Mom’s waist. “I’ll miss you.”
    Mom kissed Madison’s head. “Me, too. Now, be good, Maddie, okay?” She started walking away. “I’ll call you when I get into San Francisco—both of you. Love you!”
    “Bye!” Gramma and Madison said at the same time. They watched as Mom vanished into a crowd of rushing passengers. Madison kept looking in the same direction, just in case Mom turned around again. Their good-byes had been so fast.
    Gramma Helen clapped. “Let me look at you!” She turned Madison around so she saw her front, sides, and back. “You’re so BIG!” Gramma said.
    Madison felt like she was being inspected. “Big?” she asked, squirming a little.
    “I mean … gorgeous!” Gramma Helen corrected herself. “Mature. Sophisticated! Amazing!”
    Madison giggled. “Yeah, sure, Gramma.”
    “Now, let’s get the pooch and get ourselves to Winnetka,” she said. It was only a short drive to the community where Gramma lived on the North Shore of Chicago.
    “I can’t wait for you to see Phinnie!” Madison exclaimed. “He’s gotten big, too!”
    Gramma Helen grabbed Madison by the shoulders. “We’ll get your bag and Phin, and then I thought we could head back to the house and catch up a bit. But we have to stop at the grocery store first. Oh! There’s so much to do!”
    The baggage claim area was packed with passengers from flights all over the country. People were shoving and elbowing to get a front-row look at the luggage carousels. Gramma stood back and to the side.
    “Does Phin come out on this?” Madison asked.
    Gramma shook her head. “Nope,” she explained. “Comes through this door back here.”
    She pointed to a metal door with a coded alarm on the lock. Madison stared at the knob until a handler finally came through with a dog carrier. Inside was a Pekinese, and he was acting yippy.
    Madison looked up at Gramma. “But where’s Phinnie?” she asked. As soon as she said the words, the handler came in again, lugging Phinnie’s crate.
    “Rowrooooo!” Phin barked as soon as he was brought into the terminal. “Wooooooorf!”
    Madison ran over to the crate and peered through the bars. “PHINNIE!”
    “Rowrooooo!” Phin barked again.
    The handler helped Madison unhitch the crate and reattach Phin’s leash. The pug was twirling and twisting all over the place. Once out of the crate, the first thing he did was scoot right over to Gramma Helen, and give her a big lick on the face.
    “Oooooooh!” Gramma squealed. “Stinky little dog kissies! How delightful.”
    Madison chuckled.
    In Gramma’s world, everything was delightful.

Chapter 6
    G RAMMA HELEN’S CAR SMELLED like roses. Lots of roses. Madison noticed a funky air freshener die-cut in the shape of a red flower. It was hanging from the dashboard. The smell was overpowering. Even Phin was sneezing.
    Their first stop after leaving the airport was the supermarket. Gramma needed milk and some other basic food groups. They parked in the shade, cracked open a window, and left Phin in the car.
    Everything about the store was different from Far Hills. Little tables were set up all over the place where people could taste samples of top-selling food items and read magazines. It was like a supermarket library and cafe in one.
    Shopping with Gramma was an adventure. Anytime Madison pointed out that she liked something, it got tossed into the cart. Madison didn’t mind being spoiled, though.
    Madison marveled at how everyone in the store seemed like Gramma’s oldest friend. She’d never considered that her grandmother would have BFFs the same as she did.
    On the way out of the market, Madison spotted a red-white-and-blue poster tacked to a bulletin board. It